The Senior Alert Scheme (SAS), supported by Pobal, offers a personal monitored alarm system (pendant alarm) to people over the age of 65 for a year. The equipment is free with monitoring also free for the first year. Its availability was recently extended to those not living alone, having previously only been available to single occupant households.

The objective of the SAS is to encourage community support for vulnerable older people in communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind.

To check your eligibility for the scheme, contact the organisation offering the alarms in your area on the List of Registered SAS Organisations. This list is updated regularly, with the most recent list available on the Pobal website here.

COPD Support Ireland, a national charity for all those living with the disease, is delighted to announce a week of events to help raise awareness and encourage people to start a conversation about the illness.

#LetstalkCOPD is about getting the nation talking and telling their stories about their experiences with COPD. Some will have the respiratory condition, some will care for family and friends who suffer from COPD, while others join in the narrative for the first time this November.

We want people to hear about a condition that affects around 380,000 people in Ireland, with an estimated 120,000 more undiagnosed.

The COPD facts are:

It is the fourth most common cause of death in Ireland after lung cancer, heart disease and stroke;

Those most at risk are current or former smokers over the age of 40;

Symptoms include a chronic cough, breathlessness, pressure on the chest and a wheeze.

By joining the conversation, people can learn:

That the condition can be managed better with an early diagnosis;

That exercise really helps with living with the condition even if it’s just one short walk each day;

That talking about the condition will help people realise there is strong community of support nationwide;

And that COPD Support Ireland is there to help those with the condition across all social media platforms and through our dedicated advice line.

And significantly:

10% of people with COPD have NEVER smoked;

30% of people with the condition have successfully quit smoking;

Ireland has the highest rate of COPD admissions to hospitals in the EU and 60% more admissions than the UK;

Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatment methods yet the health system only has a capacity to cater for 10% of COPD patients.

We held our annual raffle on October 24th in Liberty Hall, Dublin. We wish to thank everyone who assisted in anyway, including our members, everyone who bought tickets, and the supermarkets and shopping centres that facilitated us.

The hurricane is on the way and we urge all OLDER PEOPLE to shelter in their own place.

The Irish Senior Citizens also urges all seniors to put in place a plan to ensure that they have all the items they need to survive the hurricane. Ideally we suggest that you prepare for the eventuality of having no power, heating or other essentials for a period of time.

Our recommendation is that you use Checklist below and put all of the items listed on a table or a similar space in the main room you will be using to sit out the hurricane.

This way all items including your medications are in the same place and within easy reach in the room in which you will be sitting out the storm.

CHECKLIST

Prepare for the worst especially a power failure by following this Checklist

Fill a flask of hot water or soup or both if you have two containers

Make a sandwich or a cold snack ideally make sufficient for 2 snacks

Layout your medications on place them on the table

Charge all battery items such as mobile phones, laptops and other devices

Make sure you have your Torch, candles and matches to hand

If you still have time get batteries for radios torches etc

Listen to your radio

Arrange a check in time with a neighbour or family

Mairead Hayes, Irish Senior Citizens is urging Older People to;

“ACCEPT and TAKE help where it is offered by neighbours and friends whom they know and trust” She also reminds them to remember that when they were in their prime years they too helped and assisted Older People and those who were frail.”

Continued she said “ by storing all your NEEDS in one room, it will help to avoid accidents or any dangers that could ariseby having to go from room to room.”

She urges all older people to wear their security pendant and have their mobile phone readily to hand. Concluding she said “ Keep warm, stay hydrated and keep safe”

In our Pre-Budget Submission we looked, not just for increases for older people for 2017/2018 but for a Programme of Recovery for Older People 2018-2020 in which government would outline their intentions and plans for older people. Naively, we expected there would be a plan, because in the run up to the BUDGET there were promises, that government would outline, not just the measures for this Budget but also their plans and intentions for future Budgets.

This just did not happen.

The State Pension has increased by €5, which is welcome, however our members are disappointed that yet again the payment is deferred to week commencing 26th March 2018, a period of 12 weeks into 2018. This deferral reduces the average payment over the year from €5 to €3.84 per week. We call on government as a matter of urgency to reconsider this decision and to pay the increase from an earlier date.

An increase in any payment is additional money and is appreciated; however we are very disappointed that the increase in the Fuel Allowance is one additional week, which brings the total payment from 26 to 27 weeks. Our ASK was for an additional payment of 3 weeks to bring the total payment to 29 weeks. This is still 3 weeks less that the 32 weeks which were previously paid. This is a critical means tested payment for older people and others across the life cycle. Without homes that are well insulated and well heated Older People will not be enabled to remain at home. For some time now there has been a campaign to raise awareness and seek the views of people in respect of HOME CARE. The desire to remain and age at home is strong among older people. A basic need and requirement to fulfil that desire is that they live in homes which are well heated otherwise the option to age at home may only be available to those on higher incomes.

The cost of heating across all the utilities has increased and the costs are further increased by the additional increased PSO levy which all customers will have to pay.

The restoration of the Telephone Support Allowance at a rate of €2.50 from June 2018 is a start for those who meet the twin criteria of Living Alone and are in receipt of Fuel Allowance. However we are concerned that the twin requirements for this payment and the level of payment will not enable many older people, especially those in Rural Ireland to get a land line or a telephone service which meets their needs.

We welcome the across the board reduction in prescription charges for medical card holders in line with the rates applicable to the over 70s as well as the €10 reduction on the threshold for the Drugs Refund Scheme from €144 to €134. However we are disappointed that there was no recognition of the increased burden borne by those who live alone in relation to both payments.

The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament (ISCP), representing 300 affiliated organisations calls on all those involved in the BUDGET 2018 negotiations to remember their election promises to Older People and to ensure that Budget 2018 measures, incrementally seek the implementation of

A Programme of Recovery for Older People2018-2020

We now need concrete proposals and timelines which will incrementally restore and improve the conditions, health and general wellbeing of all older people.

To achieve this we seek an increase of €6.00 for those on:

State Pension

Living Alone Allowance

Aged Over 80.

These three categories are vulnerable and Budget 2018 must take care of them.

We welcomed the gradual restoration of the State Pension in Budget 2017, despite the deferred payment date. The ‘older old’ and those who live alone are of particular concern to our members. In most cases, their savings are gone and they have additional expenses and outlays as a result of increased frailty and lack of mobility. Further, their costs and taxes, such as Property Tax, Prescription Charges and the Drugs Repayment Scheme, are the same for them as a 6 person household.

Our specific proposals, informed by input from members across Ireland, are for the RESTORATION OF CUTS and an outline of a time table for delivery of the Household Benefits Package and other areas which were cut. The restoration of the Telephone Allowance is a top priority for older people in Budget 2018.

Adequate heating, in particular an increase in the means tested Fuel Allowance, is a priority. All the utility companies have, or, are about to increase their charges and the government PSO levy is also to increase. That is why we are asking for a reinstatement of a further 3 weeks of this allowance for Winter 2017/2018.

What is the ISCP?

The Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament is a representative organisation of Older People in Ireland.
The Parliament is a non-partisan political organisation working to promote the views of older people in policy development and decision-making.
The Parliament is run by older volunteers who are elected annually at the Annual Parliament Meeting by delegates from affiliated organisations. The ISCP currently has 400 affiliated organisations whose memberships combine to a total of 100,000 individuals.
This membership means the ISCP has a genuine mandate to be the Voice of Older People in Ireland.

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ISCP Objectives:

To be a strong voice representing older people and their needs at international, national and local level.
To promote inter-generational solidarity.
To work through the existing affiliated organisations to ensure better co-ordination of policies and activities whilst ensuring that the affiliated groups retain their own autonomy.
To work for improvement in the quality of life of Older People.
To develop solidarity with organisations working to improve the quality of life of Older People.
To represent Older People’s issues to Government.